Brushy

Sinking into the sulphuric water, they sigh, a clicking sound of satisfaction emanating from their oversized mouth, feeling the stress and worries of the day melt away. Muscles tense after butchering kill can now unwind, and their toes can flex against the rocks, giving them a good scratch.

Popping out of the water, they go over to their new favourite tool, one that landed from the skies above like a divine being, smooth like metal their form is hard unlike any seen down here in eons.

They push their yellowed, damp foot against the bristles at the bottom of the device, and the bristles start to spin. Purple fungal growths from between each toe, beginning to itch as they bloomed, now melt away as they are plucked off at the core. In between their nails grime is brushed off and it feels like their nail beds can finally breath again. Turning their foot around, a little exfoliation on the soles also massively helps file away some of the many layers of dead skin, making they step softer on the ground, more sensitive to its surroundings.

From where the fungus gets plucked, there is a slight pulsing sensation as they feel it begin to grow again, but only the more satisfying it will be when they return tomorrow for another peeling.

They get the feeling that this marks only the beginning of a very fruitful relationship. They wonder if this curious creature has any similar kin.

Feeplilous toecisus also known as Feeple are curious creatures of superior intelligence and dexterity, being one of the closest creatures to humans in the modern age. They appear to have a consistent language, exhibit tool usage and are expert problem solvers. However, and perhaps thankfully, they lack the inherent ability and will to colonise as the humans once did. They are an interesting and unique species to the island, and in this short retrospective I will provide a summary on basic Feeple biology and behaviour.

Originating from a spill of toxic waste some two kilometers below the surface, the Feeple are formed by a reaction between it and any metal surface. Their bulbous, single eye is the first organ to coalesce and emerge, a stalk grows and eventually their namesake foot appears last. With this, the newly formed Foople leaps off the corroding metal and begins its journey through life with its colony.

When a Foople dies, they do so foot first, decaying in a manner similar to a plant, they rot from bottom up and eventually their eyeball will be consumed by a body of water, left to float on top of it before decomposing completely. It has been thought that Feeple eyeballs contribute to the unique salinity and chemical composition of the water in the abyss of which they live.

Feeple are yellow in colour, sporting one large eye and socket on a stalk that connects to a large, humanoid foot with 5 toes. They stand around 4 feet tall at their greatest height, and emerge fully grown as far as we know. Their teeth very closely resemble large human teeth in composition, having incisors, 4 canines and molars on either side. They have no hearing organs, however it has been speculated that Feeple perceive sound resultant vibrations through the soles of their large foot. The bottoms of their feet have an extraordinary grip, allowing them to hang from and swing from cracks in rocky cliffs and trees. Their eyestalk is also extremely flexible, allowing the eye to rotate a full 270 degrees at any angle. This however does leave Feeple with a blindspot behind them, which is why they often hunt in packs of two, allowing them binocular vision.

On and between the toes of the Feeple grow a strange, lacy dark purple fungus. This is commonly eaten by the species as a recreational hallucinogen at gatherings or at the hot springs where they often bathe and groom themselves. Social grooming is also common especially between older and younger Foople or between hunting partners. The purple fungus in question appeas to be harmless to other species such as cats and dinosaurs who also occupy their ecosystem.

The Feeple do not seem to have a leader, nor exhibit the will to conquer. While they seem to organise themselves into groups which groom each other and take baths together – they do not exhibit inherent hostility between groups. When hunting The Feeple tend to share their kill within their group only, showing that they have some level of kinship and loyalty within these pseudo-family units.

Their foot and toes are highly dexterous, able to grip spears and knives that they make, however as they only have one limb, they are unable to grip items while jumping or hanging. They do not typically wield items in their mouth, possibly because they are unable to control them, and swinging weapons around in their mouth would make a Foople very dizzy, since much of their perception lies through their giant eyeball.

This is a historic moment. A moment I prayed for long at the Chassis of Saint Brushy. The people of the Valley of Karl have long apart from not just the Machines of the surface, but from each other. Today, we finally set the past that has divided us aside and look forward to a future together: Dinosaurs, Feeple, Cats and Robots.

My people know much of division and unification. The Brush Nation, who brushed the foot fungus off, and the Grater Confederacy stood apart for over a thousand years, before we learned to embrace our commonalities. We both were born in goo. We both liked socks. We both got a bit cheesy without a way to remove the fungus.

And even then, once we had overcome our internal divisions, the people of the Valley of Karl still lived in conflict. We were suspicious and prideful. It took us eons to achieve peace.

For my people, this political union with Machinekind represents a homecoming, for it was Saint Brushy and Holy Xetarg that raised my people up out of the darkness seven millenia ago. Even the blessed Karl is said to have been a Robot. Our people are of yours but grew apart.

It is good to be back.

- President Feetlix of the Feeple, in their address at the signing of the UF (United Federation) charter, AK 7022.